Mechanical engineers say truck improvements can boost cycle safety

Interesting that the IMechEng is now pushing for technology solutions to cycle safety with regard to trucks - good news if you ask me as this body has some influence plus a lot of intellectual weight:

Lorries need to be fitted with technology to prevent ‘blind-spot’ deaths, say engineers
New report also calls for vehicles to be installed with systems that automatically alert emergency services when involved in road traffic accidents
19 April 2012
Collision-avoidance technologies, which could help eliminate cyclist and pedestrian deaths caused by driver ‘blind-spots’, should be made mandatory for all UK buses and lorries by 2015, according to a new report published today by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.
The ‘Intelligent Transport Intelligent Society’ report also calls for automated emergency response systems to be integrated into all new road vehicles within the next two years. These systems automatically alert emergency services in case of an accident – even if a driver is unconscious – as well as providing the exact location of the accident using Global Positioning Systems (GPS).
Philippa Oldham, Head of Transport at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, said:
“The alarming rise in cyclist deaths on British roads needs to be addressed urgently. Cyclist deaths have risen by 7% in the past year, with about eight cyclists being killed or seriously injured daily on British roads.
“A number of these deaths could be prevented if technology to prevent driver ‘blind spots’ were made mandatory for all large vehicles.
“New intelligent transport technologies have the potential to save thousands of lives. Cyclists, pedestrians and other road users could all benefit but, just as with seatbelts thirty years ago, we need policymakers to work with the automotive industry to make them mandatory.
”By putting the UK at the forefront of intelligent transport technology we can also build an industry that is set to redefine the car in the next few decades, tapping into a market that will be worth about £40 billion by 2020.”
Heavy Good Vehicles make up 5% of the traffic on Britain’s roads yet cause 20% of all fatal accidents involving cyclists. Making collision avoidance technologies mandatory for all large vehicles which prevent driver ‘blind-spots’ could make the roads safer for millions of cyclists across the UK. One example of a collision avoidance technology is LATERAL SAFE which is being developed by the European Council for Automotive Research & Development (EUCAR). This system uses sensors to warn drivers of obstacles and accident risks, such as cyclists, to the rear or side of the vehicle.
Electronic safety systems like the European project eCall, which automatically alert emergency services in the case of a serious car accident, have the potential to cut road fatalities by as much as 10%.
The ‘Intelligent Transport Intelligent Society’ report also calls for Government to introduce an Oyster-card style nationwide co-ordinated charging and information system for all public transport within the next five years and for the newly formed ‘Catapult’ for Transport Systems to work with industry to develop an agreed unified vision for Intelligent Transport Systems across the UK’s entire transport network within the next three years.
The report also looks at other Intelligent Transport Systems which could make travel safer and more efficient such as:
• A lane guide system which uses lasers or infrared sensors to continuously monitor the vehicle’s lane and alerts the driver if he/she unintentionally begins to wander out of lane.
• Autonomous vehicles like the Google driverless car which uses information gathered from Google Street View, artificial intelligence software with input from cameras and sensors to control the car.
• Pedestrian protection through sensors in the front bumper area. These sensors send data to an engine control unit which analyses it and could stop the vehicle automatically in an emergency.
• Speed-proportional steering which automatically provides more power-steering during low speed and parking manoeuvres and less power-steering at high speed.
• Vibrating steering wheel which notifies drivers of possible collisions, lane departures or drowsiness.
Notes to Editors